More cuts in France

France

Along with reforming France’s labor laws, Le Figaro reported Wednesday that President Emmanuel Macron has set his sights on removing employment subsidies, which the government has deemed a failed policy. The right-leaning newspaper welcomed the move, arguing the subsidies — totalling €3 billion last year — are costly, don’t effectively mitigate unemployment and do not help beneficiaries learn essential skills. Left-leaning Libération ran a front-page story on the troubles within gynaecological care.

UK

Much of the British press focussed on the U.K.’s proposal for a future customs arrangement with the EU that seeks to avoid a hard border with Ireland. “Brexit plan to keep peace in Northern Ireland,” the i said. The Telegraph called it “Britain’s Irish border pledge.” The left-leaning Guardian, (like EU leaders) was skeptical. “EU chiefs condemn ‘fantasy’ of U.K. plan to mirror the customs union,” its headline read. The Times reported that Brexit Secretary David Davis works only three days a week, citing James Chapman, Davis’ former aide, who on Tuesday announced plans to form a new party. The papers also reported on planned rail ticket hikes, which the Mirror dubbed “Unfare.”

Germany

The Frankfurter Allgemeine led with a story on the ECB’s monetary policy. The German Supreme Court referred the European Central Bank’s bond purchase program to the European Court of Justice, after opponents argued the program violated the German constitution. FA and the Süddeutsche Zeitung also reported on the embattled Air Berlin, which filed for bankruptcy on Tuesday after a planned investment by Abu Dhabi-based Etihad fell through. The government stepped in with an emergency loan of €150 million.

Spain

El País’ front page focused on the news Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy decided not to invoke Article 155 of the Spanish constitution to halt Catalonia’s march towards secession. The article allows for the central government to directly intervene in the running of any autonomous region, effectively ending the Catalan regional government’s rule. According to the paper, Madrid has decided “there isn’t time” for the article to be invoked given the Catalan government plans to hold an independence referendum October 1. The paper also reported on the U.K.’s customs proposal, and the Socialist Party’s defense of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. According to the Socialists, claims of Maduro’s misdeeds are “exaggerated.” To drive the point home, right-leaning ABC featured a front page image of heavily armed Venezuelan riot police running through flames with the caption: “The Venezuela the Socialist Party doesn’t want to see.”